Being Converted

I was given the opportunity to teach seminary this morning. Seminary is a scripture study class offered to high school students. In this area, it is held at 6:15 in the morning. Bright and early, but a great way to start the day by immersing ones' self in the word of God before facing the world.
The scripture block for the lesson today was all about being truly converted. Some of my favorite verses are about conversion, such as "when thou art converted, strengthen thy brethren" (Luke 22:32) or "I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ" (Romans 1:16) as well as "O that I were an angel!" (Alma 29:1). All of these verses speak of those who have the qualities to be worthy of truly being called Christ's people. As I prepared for the lesson, I was reminded of several attributes that are necessary and especially the ones that I need to continue to work on.
It isn't enough just to have moments of conversion; an experience that I believe happens quite frequently in our lives. However, to truly be converted means more. For instance, a converted individual no longer has any desire to do evil, but to always do the right, is humble, has joy and does not dwell on the hard things of life, shares the gospel and builds up the kingdom of God where ever she may be. I want to be this kind of individual and I am working on it. Of course, I immediately thought about the Prophet and the Apostles, as they are men who are truly converted.
Since we watched the October General Conference again this past Sunday, I had some of those talks come to mind, especially President Uchtdorf's talk entitled "The Love of God". It is such a powerful and inspired talk! The bottom line for conversion is definitely love. Without love, we cannot be converted ourselves, nor can we be an instrument in the hands of the Lord to assist in the conversion of others.